OT: Wedding Days and Michigan Football?

Submitted by Boner Stabone on

After reading about Harbaugh crashing weddings, it got me to thinking about weddings I have HAD to go to when Michigan was playing.

The one for me that stands out the most was the infamous '94 Colorado game.  I was at the reception listening to the game on my walkman.  I was getting a lot of people coming up to me asking the score.  When the final hail mary happened, i took my headphones off and slammed them on the floor, while my walkman shattered.  I immediately left and went home with lots of puzzled stares by wedding goers.

My other episode was the '05 Penn State game.  While at the reception my step dad and I snuck into the country club locker room that had a big screen tv.  There was this guy sitting in there with us who was drunker than a skunk f-bombing every UM player.  Anyways, after the Henne to Manningham happened I started high fiving this drunk guy in the country club locker room and hugging my step dad. 

Those are my 2 Michigan football / attending wedding stories.  Anyone else have something similar happen to them while HAVING to go to a wedding on the day of a Michigan football game?

 

Trebor

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^

I've been to weddings during three games - the Iowa and Delaware State games in 2009 and Utah in 2014. None of which were very notable for any reason.

ijohnb

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^

gone to a couple of weddings of close but not that close friends who put their wedding on the Saturday of a big game.  I won't deny anybody their choice of wedding day but I won't deny myself the Michigan v. Michigan State game either.   That may not be the best world view but it is mine and I am sticking with it.

wildbackdunesman

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^

Exactly.  When I was dating my wife I skipped one of her friends weddings, because it was on the 2007 Michigan vs MSU game.  The groom was the self-proclaimed "biggest Michigan fan on earth."  BS, you don't get married on UofM vs MSU if you are the biggest fan on earth.

Anyways, Michigan had a great comeback victory and I arrived late to the reception.  They are now divorced...the curse of game day weddings lives on!

ijohnb

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^

the biggest fan on earth does not even consider scheduling a wedding on that day. 

The two that I skipped I told them why I wasn't going to be there.  Yes, I received looks like "what the hell are you talking about man?"  I calmly explained that I am not a "casual" Michigan fan and that by asking me to skip this important Michigan game is roughly the same as asking an 8 year old to skip his birthday and that it was simply not going to happen.  I still don't think they understood.  Ah well.

The Mad Hatter

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^

to schedule my son's birthday party on the last Saturday in November.  This was obviously not OK.

The woman has known me for 20+ years; you'd think that she would have learned that nothing is to be scheduled on the day of The Game.

 "I don't understand why you just can't dvr the game and watch it later".

 I felt like I was taking crazy pills listening to her talk.  It was like she was a complete stranger.  There may have been some yelling.

The party was moved to Sunday.

ijohnb

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^

that I actually did bail on the The Game one time to go to a birthday party with my son.  The year was 2010, it was at OSU, and absolutely nothing good was going to come of it and I knew that.  In that instance I was kind of just saving myself a little bit.  I think that is the only time I have not watched the ND, Staee, or OSU game for as long as my memory will allow.

ijohnb

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^

I actually think it can be a sign of things to come.  If a guy(and his friends) are that much of a Michigan fan it should matter.  We did not even consider fall wedding dates, it was unspoken and completely understood.  She didn't want me to miss a Michigan game.

wildbackdunesman

August 3rd, 2015 at 1:50 PM ^

I agree.  I made it clear to my wife that I hated gameday weddings while we dated.  She knew enough to not even suggest one when we became engaged.

There are some things that I know better than to ask her to miss out on and vice versa.

I'd rather step on a nail than miss out on big game and watch the DVR later.

Above and Beyond

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^

I, too, have a fucking reception that night. The game is at noon that day. I will be skipping the ceremony to watch the entire game. The bride is the sister of one of my best friends, but I don't give a fuck. Bare minimum of 12 Michigan games per year. I'm sorry, but I'll do just about anything to see them all. It's not too much to ask for. There are so many other Saturdays (or even Fridays) to get married on that don't occur when Michigan is playing. It's not that hard to schedule it around fotball season.

The Mad Hatter

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^

is getting married this fall, which means I'll have to fly out to California to complete my best man duties.  Luckily, he knew better than to schedule the wedding on a game day.

We had our wedding on a Friday instead of a Saturday for this very reason.  Also because I'm cheap.

 

brewandbluesaturdays

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^

Unless I am in the wedding or have a very close tie to the person getting married I don't go to weddings on game days unless the timing works out. My worst experience was the 2013 Penn State game. We had to watch it on a phone after the bar at the country club turned off the television right before the 3rd quarter started. At our table were my buddies' parents who just happened to be drunk OSU fans. Their comments and actions made PSU's comeback and OT victory the most unbearable game experience of my life. 

goblue12820

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^

last year Penn State game i was at a wedding. I actually am getting married this year, and made sure the wedding was in December so I would not miss any games. I live in AZ so it shouldnt be too cold. Hopefully we will be gearing up for a CFB playoff game.

MinorRage

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

I have a wedding for a cousin to go to for the opening home game this year. It is a cousin I am not all that close with, and will be attending the game instead. 

 

I had another cousin who had a wedding during the Michigan vs MInnesota game 2 years ago when we won fairly handily. The groom was a south carolina grad and they had a big game that night also. The amount of iphones/ipads at the wedding was absurd. If you know you have a lot of family big into Michigan football and opt for a game on a fall Saturday you should anticipate people not attending or not paying attention.

Stuck in Ohio

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

I would not go to the wedding, I would go to the game. When my father in law retired in July, the retirement party planned for him was to take place the day of the first night game against ND. Really????? guess who went to the night game with his blessing? In 1993, my grandfather (who played for OSU in the '20's but hated them) died Friday evening in a car accident the night before the UM/OSU game. Guess who went to the game on Saturday with my mom's (his daughter's) blessing? My dad and me. We attended to the funeral arrangements Sunday. By the Way, UM shutout OSU that day.

So my short answer, anyone dumb enough to schedule a wedding on Football Saturday doesn't get my attendance.

MGoSwilly

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^

I was in one of my best friend's weddings during the Penn St game last year...couldn't really skip that one. She knew that I and most of the wedding goers were less than thrilled. At least she had the DJ make an annoucement everytime there was a score...

danimal1968

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^

We'd beaten Colorado in Boulder the week before and were losing to BC in the rain when I had to go into the wedding.  It wasn't for a couple hours that I found out we'd scored a couple times in the 4th quarter to pull it out.

1989 UM GRAD

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^

I got married on Nov 4, 1995, in New York. We lost to MSU, but fortunately it was in East Lansing and the game was over before the wedding began. I hopefully have redeemed myself by moving my daughter's 2016 Bat Mitzvah date to a bye week.

TheFugitive

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^

Akron in 2013, we had it on the radio as we were getting dressed and were checking our phones seconds before walking down the aisle with the bridesmaids. Akron driving down 4 but the score went final before the procession.

Hail-Storm

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^

on Gameday (away) Michigan vs MSU. Planned wedding after the game (12 start with a 4 pm wedding). Michigan won in OT, so we had to finish watching the OT in the church basement. But a perfect fall day in A2, with reception at the Union. Wife and I walked down aisle to the victors. Celebrated a win and our wedding. No regrets.

A game I missed for a wedding was the Wisconsin 2008 game.  I kept checking my wife's phone (which had some partial internet), and was able to watch the end of the game at bar of reception place. 

His Dudeness

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^

Went to a buddies wedding last year during Notre Dame. A ton of sparty fans laughing it up while they were still in it against Oregon. Me almost 100% ditching the reception to watch the game in the members only room. By the end of the night there was just a lot of drinking in anger from all football fans.

And my GF's name is the same as a young niece of the groom and due to a  miscommunication I almost got  punched out by the father of the groom, so that was nice.

beedub93

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^

My sister-in-law got married (now divorced) from some dickhead Tennessee fan on 11/19/05. I was reading at the wedding and prior to the start, I was in the church parking lot watching the last few minutes of the game as LC opted to punt the ball away and Troy Smith took over.

I was beyond pissed walking in, did my reading, drank heavily at the reception and told my wife that night I will never again miss the Ohio State game. I told her there better be a death in the family or a house fire - otherwise, never again, especially for a wedding.

The only consolation was that Tennessee lost to Vandy and wound up with a losing record. I never liked the guy my sister in law married and he's a gigantic, deadbeat douche bag.



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CaptChuck

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^

Went to a wedding on the day of the 2012 MSU vs Michigan game.  Was able to catch the second half at the golf course bar.  It was not the greatest game ever played, but watching the game winning field goal and being surrounded by MSU fans made for one hell of a wedding reception after that.

Jammatime

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^

2007 Oregon game. I was asked to leave by the bartender due to the excessive amount of four letter words being directed towards a one Dennis Dixon... I've never been sadder at a wedding.



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Above and Beyond

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^

That game was more brutal to watch than the App. State game the week before. The fact that we lost the week before, after being preseason ranked number five and favored to win the conference and compete for the national title, made it more brutal, especially considering Oregon completely smoked us. I thought that was going to be our revenge game for what happened against them in 2003, but Oregon had other plans and those plans were to completely run Michigan off the field. Two statue of liberty plays for touchdowns that game...TWO. That is insane. Michigan was not only out matched that game, but just beaten down (mentally and physically) from the week prior.

lunchboxthegoat

August 3rd, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^

My good friend caused me to miss the Forcier ND game due to his wedding in NC. 

 

The next year my cousin got married on the day of the Ill v. Michigan 1,000 pt fest and I passed on going to his wedding BC I had tickets. I feel justified in the second instance bc they later divorced anyway. 

 

I had my wedding on a Saturday in the fall...it was on a Michigan bye week. 

Hail-Storm

August 3rd, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^

and yeah, they were a blast to be at. I only make it to 1 or 2 games a year at max (only tailgate lately) so was glad I made it to both of those.  

Honestly, I don't feel that missing weddings (unless its a sibling or one of best friends) is that big of a deal.  I know I was fine with anyone that couldn't make it, because that saved me money. 

LSAClassOf2000

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^

Like some others, unless I am in the party or close to the person who is getting married, I generally will go to the game or stay home and watch it if it is away and just go to the reception later as it seems like most of the time the reception is starting around the time the game is ending - if the times coordinate at all, of course. 

I did actually miss the 2004 San Diego State game for a close friend's wedding, as well as the 2006 Wisconsin game for a family wedding, although at least that time I was in a hotel reception room (ceremony was in the hotel) and there was a bar. 

evenyoubrutus

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^

The son of my mom's best friend since college (and maid of honor from my parents' wedding) got married in October during an MSU game one year (I think it was 2007?). I didn't know them too well so it was easy for me to decline, but my dad was pissed as hell and refused to miss the game, so he attended the wedding because it didn't interfere but he did not go to the reception.  Pretty funny, actually.

Bocheezu

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^

I can understand the guy's not into sports and doesn't know any better when the future wife picks some day in the fall.  But do these people also have no friends that watch sports?  Nobody ever tells them "hey, you schedule it during U-M/MSU, you will have a riot on your hands.  You won't be pissing just half the people off, you be pissing EVERYBODY off."  Do they not understand, or do they just not care?

Seriously, what's wrong with weddings in the spring or the summer.  Especially early summer, like June.  June is a great month -- It's not too hot yet (generally) and the only thing on are the Tigers and maybe a golf tournament.